The market for food and drink specifically targeted at kids between three and 11-years-old is expected to jump from US$15.1bn in 2006 to $26.8bn by 2011, driven by a number of factors including increased awareness of health issues.
According to the latest research by Packaged Facts, an increased awareness of health and nutrition coupled with concerns about childhood obesity is driving growth in the sector. As demand for more healthy products continues to rise, manufacturers are meeting this need through product innovation and health-aware advertising aimed at kids.
Packaged Facts highlighted the constant need to adapt and innovate in the children’s sector, suggesting that foods that were specifically aimed at children ten years ago no longer make the cut.
“Marketers have the unique challenge of balancing fun food formats, ‘wow’ packaging and continuously changing variety, with parent-friendly fare that’s high in nutrition, convenient and easy to prepare,” notes Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts. “Creating a connection and building a brand relationship is far more difficult with today’s multicultural, media and technology saturated kids than it was even a decade ago.”
